Semaphore for street-railroads



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(No Model.)

L. E. OLAWSON. SEMAPHORE FOR STREET RAILROADS. No. 496,639.

Patented May 2, 1893.

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7 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

LESLIE E. CLAWSON, OF BATTLE OREEK, MICHIGAN.

SEMAPHORE FOR STREET-RAILROADS'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,639, dated May 2, 1893.

Application filed June 21, 1892. Serial No. 437,542. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LESLIE E. GLAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semaphores for Street Railroads; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to railway semaphores, or indicators, and its object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and durable device especially adapted for use with street rail-ways, but also applicable to steam railways, which will serve automatically to indicate the direction of travel of the car that passed it last.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein the same letters of reference are used to designate parts they refer to like parts in the several views.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of my improved device showing the same adapted for use with street railways of the class wherein the cars are electrically propelled by the over-head system. Fig. 2, is an enlarged view of the indicator. Fig. 3, is a detail view of the signal, or semaphore shaft, with the vertical portion thereof shown in horizontal section. Fig. 4, is an end view of the frame and trip lever. of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a similar View of a slightly different form of trip lever.

Referring to the several parts, A, designates the frame of my device, and O, the shaft; said shaft being provided at. the upper end with a horizontal signal arm V, which is preferably made in the shape of an arrow. This shaft 0, has suitable bearings at a, a, and at a suitable point is bent to form a crank K, the horizontal portions of which are parallel with the arm V. The extreme lower end of the shaft 0, is provided with arms I), b, which project outward from the shaft at an angle of forty-five degrees, or thereabout. The frame,

at a point opposite these arms, is formed with an opening I), to permit the arms to have free play. These arms are actuated and the shaft 0, turned one half of a complete revolution,

' and the position of the signal arm thereby reversed, by means of a trip lever l, hereinafter fully described.

A spring S, bent into approximately horseshoe shape and provided with terminal coils d, is secured at its ends to the frame A. The upper horizontal portion d of this spring S, flexibly presses against the outer side of the crank portion K, of the shaft 0, and said spring thereby serves to keep the arm V, in its normal position, parallel with the di rection of the car. The trip-lever Z, has one end heavier than the other, or opposite end, (or it may be provided with a suitable returning spring,) and located in the path of a passing car so as to be engaged by the same in such manner that its opposite end will actuate 'the arms b, b, to reverse the position of the signal arm V.

In Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 the device is shown as used in connection with electric rail-ways of the overhead trolley system. In such case the device is preferably mounted upon the wire B, the lower end of the frame being suitably shaped to partially encircle said wire, and being fastened thereto in any suitable manner, and the lever Z may be pivoted to a projection Z from said frame so that its upper end shall be out of vertical alignment with the center of the shaft 0, and to engage the arms I), b, alternately, (i. 6., one arm, when the signal arm is to be turned to a certain position, and the other arm when it is to be turned to the reverse position) and its lower end provided with a projection Z, located beside the wire B, so as to be engaged by the trolley-wheel w, as shown in Fig. 5, or the trip lever may be pivoted directly to the frame and have its upper end bent out so as to be located out of vertical alignment with the center of said shaft, as shown in Fig. 4, or any other suitable form of lever may be employed.

The position of the parts shown in Figs. 1

and 2, indicates that the car which last passed was an up-going one. If the next car is going in the same direction it will not affect the position of the signal arm, because, its trolleywheel engaging the lower end of the trip-lever will only force the upper end of the same away from the shaft 0; but if it is coming from the opposite direction the trolley-wheel willengage the lower end of the lever, and force the same in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2-the upper end of said trip-lever being thereby caused to engage one of the arms 17, and exert a pressure thereon during the continuance of its engagement with the trolley-wheel, sufficient to cause the shaft 0, to make a half-revolution, and thereby reverse the position of the signal-arm. When the trolley-wheel is disengaged from the trip-lever, the latter will fall, by gravity, to its normal position,or it may be pulled to such posi tion by the action of a suitable returning spring with which it may be provided,-such spring, however, being not shown, because it is an obvious variation, in detail construction.

Although I have described the device only as adapted for use with the overhead trolley electrical system, it is obvious that it is adapted for use with any other system. In such construction the frame A, or its equivalent may be mounted upon a post, and the trip-lever suitably pivoted to one side of the rail '1, so that one end will be in position to be engaged by the wheels of the car, or by a suitable means projecting from the lower end of said car, as indicated in Fig. 1 or an equivalent trip-lever may be mounted on a post adjacent to the line of travel,whereby a projection from the top of said car may be made to engage said lever and reverse the signal in substantiallythesame manner. Thedetails, as a cable connection, from the track 'I, or top of car, need not be further described and shown, because it is but an obvious variation of construction, involving the identical and essential'features of the invention hereinbefore described and illustrated, and which would probably be suggested to any one skilled in the art from the reading hereof alone.

Having thus fully and clearly illustrated and described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with the frame, of a vertical shaft having a signal arm at its upper end, and projecting arms I), Z), at its lower end, and a trip-lever for actuating said arms to reverse the position of the said signal, said triplever being actuated by a passing car.

2. The combination with the frame, having an opening Z), of a vertical shaft, having a signal arm at its upper end, a crank portion intermediate of its length, and projecting arms 5, 1), operating in said opening in the frame at the lower end of said shaft, a bent spring having terminal coils and secured at its ends to said frame, the upper horizontal portion of said spring engaging said crank portion of the shaft, and a trip-lever for actuating said arms I), b, to reverse the position of said signal arm, said trip-lever being actuated by a passing car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

LESLIE E. CLAWSON.

Witnesses:

M. METOALF, Gno. W. NICHOLS. 

